While making his first start of the season -- and his first since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2011 -- on April 6 in Toronto, Lackey suffered a strained right biceps.

However, he has made it back from this latest ailment in short order and is eager to take the ball for the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon against the Astros.

"Based on the game pitched [on a Minors rehab assignment], and the bullpen [session] that followed, there's been no symptoms that have reoccurred," said manager John Farrell. "The fact is, when he felt it up in Toronto, I think it was just getting to an arm speed and a velocity that he hasn't experienced in probably two years."

Obviously he won't be pitching a complete game against the Astros on Sunday.

"We've got an idea with a certain pitch range that he'll approach at some point, and that will be the end of it for the day," said Farrell. "The fact that he got up and down four times his last outing, he was up and down into the fifth inning his first outing. That's kind of the range that we're looking at going into tomorrow. The stress of each of the pitches thrown are going to have some impact on the decision of how deep he can go into tomorrow's game."